Ambassadors

It was a nice surprise to stumble upon AMBASSADORS because I am such a fan of Mitchell & Webb - their sketch show and then PEEP SHOW are both terrific. What was refreshing was that the tone and pace and humor in AMBASSADORS is very different from their previous stuff. This show is like a mix of Yes, Minister, Veep and In The Loop. What is also impressive is the superb supporting cast - Keely Hawes, Matthew MacFayden, Tom Hollander, Amara Karan, Susan Lynch and Shivani Ghai. Don't expect the raunchy, will comedy of their sketch show/Peep Show. This is engaging, smart, measured and there are certainly laughs.

I'm not a die-hard follower of these guys, but enjoy them both. The other actors were really good, too. Well-done, engaging story line. We'd welcome more!

As a former member of the British Diplomatic Service I found this series ticked a lot of boxes. I recognised a number of the characterisations as being similar to people I had come across in my own career, and the balance of realistic scenarios and humour was cleverly done. I found myself empathising with several of the characters in the Embassy who struggled to maintain a semblance of normal life amid conflicting, usually urgent and sometimes dangerous, calls on their time. Reviewer journalist1 clearly has a different interpretation of "politically correct" than me. The programme deliberately poked fun at institutions and individuals, from the British Royal Family to the ruling clique of the semi-fictitious country where it is set. Of course there were errors - the Union Jack regularly being flown upside down, for example, something that the producers should really have got right - and it had to be a bit "over-the-top" to be funny, but overall it was an amusing but realistic peek into the world of modern diplomacy at the day-to-day level. I hope there will be another series.

Most of the times it is great to see a satire focusing on characters, international politics and simple and well-written plot. And this show is one.

There are some racial stereotypes, but they kind of get away with it as they criticize British diplomacy, as well.

I hope they make another series.

I tend to have a short attention span, but I watched all three episodes back to back. Highly recommended although unexpectedly serious and definitely not Peep Show.

It's a new genre for Mitchell and a Webb and I think they pull it off really well despite the fact that you're waiting for those side glances from Webb at the end of his scenes. Budgets looked fairly big as it seemed all to be shot in Turkey or surrounding regions. Therefore I hope the mixed reviews don't affect a decision about follow up shows.... I'm hoping they make a second series which I think will learn from the first, and will see the characters mature and grow further.